Deutschland-Tour 2022: The new concept and road bike tours along the route
Patrick Kunkel
· 23.08.2022
Five instead of four days, a time trial and a real mountain finish for the first time since the restart: Is the Tour of Germany on its way to becoming a complete tour? Is Germany's most important men's race being reorganised? The tour has been held irregularly under different names since 1911. In 2018, the Tour of Germany was relaunched after a ten-year break. The Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), organiser of the Tour de France among others, initially secured the rights to the Deutschland Tour for ten years via its German subsidiary "Gesellschaft zur Förderung des Radsports mbH". Two years ago, the Deutschland Tour was included in the newly introduced UCI Pro Series, a race category below the World Tour. This year's Deutschland Tour starts on 24 August in Weimar and ends on 28 August in Stuttgart. Over five race days, the 120 professional cyclists will have to conquer a total of 710 kilometres and more than 11,000 metres of altitude. In addition to 14 World Tour teams, two international pro teams will be competing. Three Continental teams and one national team will bring young German cyclists to the start.
Fans were able to help plan the route of the German tour
"We do have a prologue, but we've deliberately kept it short so that there aren't too many gaps right from the start," explains Fabian Wegmann, the sporting director of Germany's most important cycling race. "And we deliberately want to get into the cities and bring road cycling to where people can see us." An important part of the concept is also to involve the fans, who can help plan and submit suggestions for the routes. The response was huge, reports Wegmann, who himself lived in Freiburg for many years and knows every bend and every tree in the southern Black Forest: "The Schauinsland was mentioned what felt like a hundred thousand times. It makes sense. It's the cycling highlight of the region. Irrespective of the topography - the Deutschland Tour undoubtedly delivers captivating cycling. And the race could perhaps be permanently extended to five or six stages, says Wegmann. More is not to be expected due to the tight racing calendar. More info about Teams, TV dates, routes and altitude profiles can be found here on the TOUR website.
Geschke from Freiburg on the mountain finish on the Schauinsland
The 2022 Tour of Germany will see the Simon Geschke from Freiburg as captain in the national team jersey. Riders like him, who wore the mountain jersey for nine days in the Tour de France, have a good chance of finishing in the top places. He is particularly looking forward to the stage with the mountain finish on the Schauinsland:
"The Freiburg stage is very beautiful, especially in terms of the sport, but also the scenery. That makes the tour much more attractive in my eyes. For me, it gains in value and character, because more variety is required. Above all, the mountain stage makes the Deutschland Tour tougher than before. The Schauinsland may not be an Alpine pass, but it's hard enough. I like that!"
Freiburg tours on the trail of the Tour of Germany
TOUR author Patrick Kunkel, who lives in Freiburg, also knows the Schauinsland. But Germany's sunniest region around Freiburg also offers plenty of steep climbs and undulating terrain for a perfect road bike weekend. Kunkel introduces us to two road bike routes that follow the stages of the Tour of Germany, but where the pros ride on wide, closed roads, they switch to more beautiful terrain.
First impressions of the tours around Freiburg? Then watch a short video on our TOUR YouTube channel!
Tour 1 via Texas Pass and Mondhalde loops
- 88 kilometres
- 1320 metres altitude
- max. 16 % gradient
The road bike tour leads along cycle paths to the Kaiserstuhl, where the first climb to the Schelinger Höhe really gets you going. This is followed by the famous Texas Pass with its lasso loop serpentines. After a short descent to Kiechlinsbergen, the next climb through the vineyard terraces to Bischoffingen awaits, followed by the Mondhalde bends, which are considered legendarily steep by locals. If you think that's it, you're wrong: the Tuniberg-Höhenweg, Batzenberg and Schönberg garnish the way back to Freiburg with plenty of panoramic views and just as many metres in altitude as the first part of the stage.
Tour 2 over the Schauinsland from Münstertal
- 98 kilometres
- 2500 metres altitude
- max. 20 % gradient
The second road bike tour climbs the Schauinsland! But not from Freiburg, via the legendary Schauinslandstraße (1,202 m), like the pros on the Tour of Germany - we prefer to hurtle down it on the descent. We save Freiburg's local mountain for the end of the tour and climb it "the other way round", from Münstertal. Immediately after the start, the first steep climb to the Geiersnest awaits. After a relaxed intermezzo through the undulating Markgräflerland region, the route continues in quick succession: first the long climb to Sirnitz and Kreuzweg, followed by the winding descent to Münstertal. There, the Stohrenstraße to the Schauinsland summit awaits, probably the steepest mountain road in the southern Black Forest. The descent is a frenzy of bends.
